Today in the News: US having worst measles year since 1996

Thursday

Sep 12, 2013 at 6:06 PM

News on measles cases, Voyager and Colorado flooding.

News to know

The U.S. is on track for measles cases to be the highest they’ve been since 1996, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Through Aug. 24, there were 159 confirmed cases of measles, putting the U.S. on track to have its worst year in more than a decade. Last year there were 222 cases, and the CDC said the recent uptick is because of parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated.

Quote of note

"In leaving the heliosphere and setting sail on the cosmic seas between the stars, Voyager has joined other historic journeys of exploration: The first circumnavigation of the Earth, the first steps on the Moon." - Scientist Ed Stone, commenting on the fact that Voyager became the first man-made object to leave the heliosphere (the boundary that separates our solar system from the rest of the Milky Way).